Date
by astrum-faith
Summary: Katherine and Adam like each other, but when Adam's so shy and she's so sure of herself, how can they let each other know? Short story for anyone who likes romance and this pairing, or who is simply interested. Please R&R!


If I own Power Rangers, why did we never see this in the actual series! I'll give you a hint: not mine. :(

Will be some day when I take over the world and steal all the original footage so I can make scenes like this, but not today.

* * *

Date

Adam glanced away hurriedly as she looked up; he turned back when he heard her laughter. He reflected briefly on how similar her voice was to wind-chimes, strong as it rang out, but still so, _so_ beautiful... He soon realised she was talking, too, so he paid attention again, suppressing his adoration, if only momentarily.

"You haven't been this shy since high school!" The ex-ranger turned a deep shade of red, making his girlfriend (or rather, the woman he _hoped_ would be his girlfriend) feel suddenly guilty. "I'm sorry, Adam, I was just wondering why you were so nervous." She was sincere in both apology and curiosity, but he still felt so awkward - he _still _didn't want to explain, as much as he knew she should know what he was feeling in his heart.

_How do I tell her I love her?_

* * *

Earlier that day he had been asking Tommy for advice – Tommy and Kim had been on a lot of dates, both in high school and since they had got back together, so Adam trusted Tommy to be helpful. Unfortunately, the talk hadn't done much to calm his nerves.

"What are you so worried about?" Tommy had questioned. "I've seen the way you look at each other, and you've known each other for years. It's not like it'll be hard to talk to her."

"But I never used to think of her like that – at least, I never thought I did. And now I really, _really_ like her – it won't be the same. What if she doesn't like me?"

"Like you? You've been friends for years and you're expecting her not to like you!"

"You know what I mean, Tommy, and I'm not asking for her friendship; I'm asking for her to love me like I love her." The look in his eyes told Tommy he had to stop messing around - his friend was really messed up right now and needed support, not humor.

"Adam, Katherine may not show it, but she is just as scared as you are."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, man, I really do."

* * *

Katherine laughed, half-amused and half-trying to break the tension, but instantly regretted it when Adam's face turned scarlet. She apologised quickly, but felt sure she'd already blown it; Adam didn't seem to be able to look at her half the time, and she was starting to wonder whether it really was nerves or if he just didn't want to be there.

A part of her wondered why she had come in the first place - and if he was that repulsed by her presence, why didn't he up and leave? It was embarrassing and painful, but the blonde was a reasonable actress, and so her date had no idea what kind of thoughts were racing through her head. It made her sad to know this - she wished he _could_ see into her head properly, so she wouldn't have to voice the way she felt about him - good as an actress she was, rejection was not something she thought she would be able to handle, not from him.

_How do I say I love him when he hates me?_

* * *

Like Adam, Katherine had turned to a friend for advice earlier in the day:

"And you're scared?" asked Kim, suppressing a giggle. "It's Adam! Sensitive, kind, loving Adam! He's the sweetest, most caring guy I've ever met besides Tommy; what could go wrong?" She had expected her friend to roll her eyes at the comparison to her own lover, but Katherine's eyes were stone-cold and her voice was sad, scared. Despite that, her reply wasn't weak.

"He could reject me? Get serious, Kim!"

"I _am_ being serious – he was making eyes at you the whole time we were at the pool last week." The original's successor didn't look convinced. A brief silence followed, being broken with the whispered words,

"Why didn't he ask before?"

"He's probably nervous."

"I guess."

* * *

Barely a dozen words had been exchanged since they sat down and the pressure finally became too much.

"Adam, I'm sorry," Kat told him quietly, careful not to cause a scene. She stood to leave. "Look, if you didn't want to do this you didn't have to – you could have said you'd had other plans; you could even have just not turned up! I just can't sit here and watch you try to pretend not to hate me!" Adam sat there in stunned silence – then he realised he'd let her walk out, crying.

.-..-..-..-.

He finally managed to catch up with her in the park. It was twilight, with Katherine a solitary figure in the bright moonlight, the shadow she cast on the path as dark as the sky above. It had for a while felt as if the path was acting like a treadmill, because though his footsteps pounded on the gravel Adam felt like he was getting no closer to her. Katherine, however, remained entirely oblivious to his approach; the first she knew of it was when someone grabbed her arm, spinning her around. Her instinct from her ranger past would have made her attack immediately, but she'd had to suppress that the last few years (martial arts was all well and good if there was real danger or if you were in a dojo, but it looked pretty odd if you fell into a defensive stance every time someone made you jump). Nowadays her reaction was similar to most people's - yell.

"What the hell…?!" Then she saw who it was. "Adam, you scared me…what are you doing here?" she questioned, genuinely confused. The minor doubt which had flashed through Adam's head at her first exclamation faded the moment he saw her face, though - he knew he couldn't live without her.

"I…I didn't want you to go, Kat. I just wasn't sure if maybe you didn't want to be there in the first place, so by the time I realised…I'm sorry I upset you."

"No, I'm the one who walked out," she insisted, looking at the ground.

"Look at me, Kat." She didn't, so Adam placed a finger tenderly below her chin and tilted her head up, gently, not forcefully, his other hand still holding onto her left arm. "I was nervous, Kat, but I'm not anymore. I love you." Their lips met, first cautiously, soft, then with more certainty. Slowly, Adam slid his right hand from her arm to her waist, encircling it, and felt Kat's arms rise to wrap around his shoulders, drawing him closer. The kiss broke apart momentarily, leaving just enough time for her to whisper,

"I love you, too," to his lips before they resumed the passionate promise of their emotions and desires. After what was both an eternity and nothing had passed, the embrace ended, the pair pulling apart reluctantly, and they settled for holding hands as Adam walked Katherine home, her eyes shining brighter than the stars, his joy reflected in them so _perfectly _as they held each other's gaze…

_How could I have let this take so long?_

_I guess love was worth the wait._

* * *

A/N: What do you think? - that question is not specific to the pairing, so don't just say things like 'I don't like Adam and Kat being together' or 'I think he/she should have been with someone else' - I'm not rewriting this to suit your opinions of my characters, because for me it wouldn't work with anyone else.

Yes, I know what I just said sounded rude, but I've gotta make it clear just in case, because I know some people have major problems with Katherine in particular (the whole Letter thing and the T/K/K triangle idea ruined her image for a lot of people). Personally I like her character, but I like Kimberly too, so NO CHARACTER-FLAME!

I just went mean again, didn't I? Okay, no more rudeness. I will behave! But despite what I said above about not commenting on the pairing you _can_ comment, just make sure it's not the only thing you're saying!

I want reviews! Please! I don't think I've done anything which can actually fit under the heading 'romance', and I need some replies or suggestions. Please?

My oven is almost fixed, so I might be able to bake virtual cookies for anyone who reviews! What I'm not telling you is that I don't have the recipe. Yet.

PLEASE REVIEW! YOU MAKE ME HAPPY! Happy authors are productive authors!


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